Method of treating iron ores.



No. 890,234. PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908.

. QT. .T. JONES. METHOD OF TREATING IRON ORES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10, 1908.

2 SHEETS-321E311.

eibii/L TJozzes attoznugs Wit cases @vihw sea PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908. J. T. JONES. METHOD OF TREATING IRON ORES.

v ITED sTATEs PA ENT oFFIoE.

JOHN 'ixioNa's, OF IRON MOUNTAIN, MICHIGAN, assre-Non OFoNE-HA'LF To GEORGE A. sT.

, CLAIR, or DULUTH, MINNESOTA. I

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed. March 10, 1908. Serial No. 420,872.-

Patented June 9 No.s9o,2s4.

To all whom it ma/y concern: H

Be it known that I, JOHN T. JONES, citizen of the United States, residing at Iron Mountain, in the county of Dickinson and State of Michigan, have mvented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of ment.

In the well-known blast furnace practice the ore mixture is subjected, first, to a reducing action, which converts the iron oxid into metallic iron and then to a meltin action, which renders all the'constituents of the ore fluid and enables the iron to separate from the slag by gravity. The resultant product, known as pi iron, is rarely, in any case, above something under 95% pure, the remainder being generally, for the most part,

silicon and carbon, with a smaller percentage of other impurities, notably phosphorus, sul-v fur and manganese. v

M object is not only to obtain a more near y pure iron product from the ore than is obtainable by the usual smelting operation as practiced, but to enable its production in furnaces of comparatively simple and inexpensive construction at less expense in fuel and fluxes.

In carrying out my. process I subject the ore first to the action of hot reducin gases at a temperature sufficiently high and or a time suflicientl prolonged to reduce iron oxids to the metal ic state, without, however, rendering the metallic iron or slag producin constituents fluid. During this action, t re reduced iron particles agglomerate into a more or less honeycombed structure, leaving the slag producing constituents, for, the most part, 1n mechanical union therewith. I then subject the reduced ore to the action of gases, which may be neutral in the sense of being neither oxidizing nor reducing, at a temperature sufliciently high and for a period sufii: ciently prolonged to melt the slag-producing constituents of the ore, but not metallic iron, whereb the fluid'slageproducing constituents wi 1 flow by gravity from the iron, leaving the latter in a pure, or nearly pure, condition. The resultant sponge iron ma then be separately treated under a still igher temperature and balled 'up or melted down entirely and run off into ingots or blooms.

Both classes of iron ore ma be treated b my im roved' process name those whio are sel -iiuxing, and-those which require the admixture of a fiuxing material such as lime,

on alumina; and it desirable of course to have a mass, or ore inlxture, the slag-producing constituents ofwhich will be formed into slag at a com aratively low temperature, say under 2200 leaving a material'amount of iron oxid wit the sla making constituents of the mass at the on of the reducing step of my process the melting point of'the slag is eatly reduced. In other words I am enab ed to melt the sla making constituents at a com aratively ow temperature but at a sac cc of iron oxids, which enter into the composition of the slag. This loss is not very material when my rocess is practiced in the neighborhood of w ere theoreeis; mined, and produces a great saving in fuel consumption. If it should be found that at the end of the reducof oxi of iron is present in the mass, I may mix a small amount of oxid of iron therewith,

or partially oxidize the mass before subject- I have discovered that by ing it to the next step wherein the slag" is 7 formed without melting the'metallic iron.

In the carrying out of my improved method on a commercial scale, a suitably constructed furnace, or series of furnaces, must necessarily be provided, and, for the purpose of illustration merely, and without intending thereby to limit the scope of my invention to the employment of any particular type of apparatus, I show in the accom-- panying drawmgs furnace structures which will answer the urpose of rendering clear the description of the steps of my improved method as I prefer to practice them. 3

Referring to the drawings-Fi e 1 is a view partly in side elevation an partly in sectionof a furnace structure adapted for carr ing out the first steps of m improved met 0d; and Fig. 2, a sectionaf view of a reverberatory open-hearth furnace of common construction which may be employed for carrying on the final'steps of the method.

The furnace 3 for the production of reagainst the mouth of the flue 4 an ducing as is ovided with a gas-outlet flue 4. Fue sucli as bituminous coal, is .fed thereto through a bell-valv e 5, and air. to support combustion is forced in through the twyer 6. The unvolatilized products of the fuel may be drawn through the opening 7. An inclined rotary cylinder 8 abuts (glas-tiglit 1s suported upon rollers 9 in a common manner. he cylinder 8, in practice, may be, say, one hundred or more feet in length. 10 is a second cylinder forming, in effect, a continuation of the cylinder 8 and similaFly mounted to rotate therewith. The upper open end of the cylinder 10 enters the lower part of a. stationary ore-feeding hopper 11, the joint between them being gas-tight. Air-supplfying pi cs 12 enter the ower end-portion o the cy indpr 10 and lead thereto from a common air-supply pi e 13. On the upper end-portion 0 the cy inder 8 is a hopper 14 provlded with a valve 15, the hopper communicating with a pipe 16 which terminates at about the axial center 'of the cylinder. Below the lower open end of the cylinder 8 isa pit 17 into whlch cars 18 may be run to receive the material discharged from the cylinder 8.

carbon fuel fed through the hop The reducing gases generated in the furnace 3 pass through the flue 4 into the lower end of the cylinder 8, and, whenthey reach the cylinder 10,'they are mixed with air from the pipes 12, giving to the gases an excessof oxygen. hopper 11. The cylinders have means, not shown, for rotating them slowly, and the ore fed through the ho per 11 descends slowly to the lower end 0 the cylinder 8. In its passage through the cylinder 10, the ore issubjected to an oxidizing atmosphere which tends to' drive off sulfur and heat the ore to a high temperature. While descending through the cyllnder 8, the ore is subjected to a reducing atmosphere which is maintained at a temperature sufiiciently high to reduce the desired percentage of the iron oxids to metal, without, howeverfrendering either the metallic iron or slag producing constituents of V the ore fluid.

The temperature of the through the cylinders is' regulated within reasonable limits to produce the results I wish to obtain. Occasionally, as desired, I feed a more or less limited quantity of preferably bituminous coal into the up er end of the cylinder 8 through the valve hopper 14. As the ore passes through the end-portion of the cylinder 8, it is subjected to a reducing temperature which does not, however,.reach that necessary to bind phosphorus' to'the metal. It is, however, enough to free the volatiles from the hydrothese volatiles mixed with the re ucing gases from the furnace 3 tendto combine with an phosphoric acid in the ore and carry it o ll the gases escape through the ron, andmay gases passing upper er 14, and? Thus the ore it descends through the" cylinder 8 is not only reduced, but largely, at least, dephosphorized.

As the iron oxids are reduced to the metallic state, the reduced metal particles tend to agglome'rate together and form structures of quantity of air to the pit 17 when the cars are movedin and out, and to, prevent air from enterin the lower end of the cylinder 8 in volume su cient to deteriorate the reducing ases entering the c linder from the flue 4. hen a car 18 is fil ed with reduced ore, its contents may be covered with coal-dust or the like, to exclude the atmosphere and prevent reoxidation of the ore.

Tocarry out the next step of my method the rever erator open-hearth furnace 19 may be employe ,the contents of the car 18 being dumped into the melting chamber 20, which isprovided with the doors 21 and a tap-openlng 22 Here the ore is subjected, for a plerlod sufficiently rolonged, to the action of ot gases, preferab y of a substantially neutral nature, at a temperature approximating, say, 2000 to 2200 F. which will melt and render fluid the sla making constituents. The slag thus formed be removed as by running it out of the tap hole 22. This operation may be kept up until practically all the slagmak ng constituents have separated from the 1.1011, care being employed that the temthe practice of this ste of the method, will will separate from the or as much as desired, of the slag-makin constituents have thus become melted out o and separated from, the iron as described, the iron remaining in the chamber 20 may be subjected to a higher temperature and balled up or melted to the fluid state, and then run 0 into ingots,'blooms, or other products.

The iron, when removed from the melting chamber, is verypure and also possesses the advantage of being .completely, or almost completely, dephosphorized.

I prefer to carry out in method in at perature is not raised to the point where the least two furnaces as described, because in' that way I obtain better heat-control than can be accom lished, on a commercial scale, in any sin 1e idrnace structure of which I am aware. owever, I do not limit my invention in any way to the. articular apparatus in which the steps of t ried on.

b Vichat I ci aim as newiapd desire to secure y etters atent, 'is-f 1 1:51 59 i 1. The method of trea tiri g i n oregwhich e method are carconsists in first subjecting the ore, under deoxidizing conditions, to a temperature will reduce iron oxide to metallic iron in that wlll reduce iron oxids to metalhc'ironin sponge-form without rendering the slagsponge-form without renderingb the slag making constituents fluid, then subjecting grge and for a IDleriod suflicient toreduce iron out rendering the slag-ma ng constituents itself by gravity, then separating the slag consists in first subjecting the ore, under dethe reduced ore to ahighertemperature to th ma gconstituentsfluid,thensu jecting the the reduced ore to a" hi her temperature to reduced ore to a' higher temperature to renrender fluid the slag-making constituents but der fluid the slag-making constituents but not the metallic iron, and causing the molten not the metallic iron, and causing the molten material to .free itself by gravity, then rev. I

material to free itself by gravity, then sepamoving the slag and sub ecting the-iron to a rating the slag and unmelted iron. melting temperature to render it-fluid.

2. The method of treating iron ore, which 5. The'method of treating iron ore, which consists in first subjecting the ore, under .deconsists in first subjecting the ore under deoxidizing conditions, to a temperature that oxidizing conditions to atem erature that will free the phosphoric acid without binding will reduce iron oxids to meta '0 iron, withit to the iron, then to a temperature of a deout rendering the slag making constituents fluid, then subjecting the reduced ore with a small percentage of oxid of iron, to a higher temperature to render fluid the slag making constituents without melting the metallic iron, the oxid of iron uniting with the other slag making constituents to reduce the melting point of the slag, I

he method of treating iron ore which consists in .firstsubjecting the ore under deoxidizing conditions to a tem erature that will reduce iron oxids to meta ic iron, stopping the deoxidizing action before the same is complete, whereby a small portion of the iron oxid will remain, then subjecting the mass to a higher temperature to render fluid oxids to meta ic iron in's onge-form Withmak1ng constituents but not .the metallic H011, and causing the molten material to free and unmelted iron.

3. The method of treating iron ore, which orndizing conditions, to a temperature that making constituents-fluid, then. subjecting e slag making constituents without meltrender fluid the slag-makingv constituents ing the metallic iron, the oxid of iron uniting but not the metallic iron, and causing the With the other slag-making constituents to molten material to free itself by gravity, reduce the melting point of the slag.

then removlng the slag and subjecting the In testimony whereof I aflix my signature lronto a still higher temperature, for the mpresence of two witnesses.

purpose set forth.

. JOHN T. JONES. 4.. The method of treating iron ore, which Witnesses:

consists in first subjecting the ore, under de- J. W. DYRENFORTH,

oxidizing conditions, to a temperature that FRANoIs M. PHELPS. 

